Anthony Crickmay, the photographer of this poster, began his career as an assistant to the Austrian portrait photographer Lotte Maitres-Graf who had a studio in London's Bond Street in the late 1940s. Crickmay, or Cricks as he is generally known, set up his own studio on 1958 where he built up a high-profile range of sitters including members of the royal family, and an international reputation as a photographer of theatre, opera, and especially dance.

In 1983 Crickmay moved his studio to a derelict coach-repair-workshop-turned-ironmongers in Fulham. As he said: 'I am infinitely capable of only seeing what I want to see. This place had practically no roof, pigeons nesting everywhere, water had flooded in. Yet I saw it as the most marvellous space for a studio'. The ballet dancer Darcy Bussell noted:

'Of all the photographers I've worked with, Cricks has the chicest, most hi-tech studio. It has massive glass walls, and I'm able to keep checking how my body looks. We can try out things and see exactly what a particular position will look like. The thing about the way Cricks works is that he captures a movement which is the essence of ballet. I don't know how he does it. All he says is: 'Don't worry. Just do it and I'll catch it.'

Cricks's studio is one of very few in which I'm prepared to jump. It has a wonderful springy floor. It's brilliant. Some photographers have concrete or stone floors, and if they ask me to jump, I have to say no because it's much too dangerous. The other great attraction of Cricks's studio is that it's always warm. Dancers hate being cold. That's when their muscles start to seize up.'

Physical description

Black and white poster with a black and white photographed image of a girl in a ballet posture. Typography along the bottom and coat of arms of The Royal Ballet School.

Place of Origin

London (Printed)

Date

1990 (Printed)

Artist/maker

Crickmay, Anthony, born 1937 (photographer)

Materials and Techniques

Printed ink on paper

Dimensions

Height: 60 cm, Width: 50 cm

Descriptive line

Poster advertising a book on The Royal Ballet School published by Athena International Publishing. Printed by Athena International Ltd., 1990. Photograph by Anthony Crickmay (b.1937).